Game 1: Scranton 17, Farmingdale State 2
Game 2: Farmingdale State 1, Scranton 0 (9 inn.)
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. | Sophomore second baseman Chris McGuggart (Bethpage, N.Y.) perfectly executed a suicide squeeze with one down in the bottom of the ninth Saturday afternoon, plating freshman outfield Ryan Wasserman (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) to give the Farmingdale State College baseball team a 1-0, extra-innings victory in the nightcap of its season-opening doubleheader against visiting University of Scranton.
The Royals (3-2) earned a 17-2 decision in the opening half of the teams' pair of scheduled seven-inning contests, as each team picked up one victory on the day.
FSC (1-1) earned a combined shutout on the bump from senior starter Johnny Dougherty (Kings Park, N.Y.) and freshman left-handed reliever Michael Camardi (Syosset, N.Y.). Dougherty tossed 57 pitches (36 strikes) of three-hit, two-walk ball with a pair of strikeouts in his four-inning Rams debut, before giving way to Camardi, who picked up his first collegiate victory with a five-inning effort, tossing 41 of his 58 pitches for strikes, scattering three hits and punching out four Scranton hitters.
The hosts kept Scranton off the scoreboard with an outfield assist from junior Daniel Molina (E. Meadow, N.Y.) in the top of the fourth inning, when he came up firing on a left-field single by the Royals' Nick Reposa and one-hopped Rams sophomore catcher Matthew Flood (Islip, N.Y.) to throw out John Zarnowski at the dish by 15 feet to keep the game scoreless.
Camardi worked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh by punching out the final two hitters of the frame, and pitched perfect eighth and ninth innings to keep Scranton off the board.
In the bottom of the ninth, Wasserman lined a single off of the Royals' pitcher before stealing second base. Sophomore Justin DiMartino (Bethpage, N.Y.) sacrificed the freshman to third base, before McGuggart came to the plate after an intentional walk of junior Jordan Lambert (Plainview, N.Y.). McGuggart then laid a perfect 35-foot squeeze bunt to the first-base side of the mound, as Wasserman slid home ahead of the throw to earn his team a split.
Wasserman, pinch hitter Daniel Deutsch (Jr.; Northport, N.Y.) and each had one hit in the second game for the home side.
In the opening contest, Scranton took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the top of the first inning, before Farmingdale State senior outfielder Bobby Pollock (Manorville, N.Y.) raked a solo homer over the right-field fence in the bottom of the second stanza to pull the hosts to within a run. The Royals' four-run third inning and seven-run fifth sandwiched a bottom of the fourth when Rams senior Brad Sakellarides (E. Moriches, N.Y.) brought home Lambert on a sacrifice fly to right-center field to account for the hosts' other run of the game.
Deutsch went 2-for-3 in the opener en route to a 3-for-4 day, while Lambert registered a double. Wasserman finished the day with three stolen bases, including two in the first game.
Head coach Keith Osik's Farmingdale State side is back in action at home one more time before its spring break trip, when it plays host to Ramapo College of New Jersey in a 3:30 p.m. first pitch on Monday afternoon.